


Dance with me and the other steps to falling back in love

by 700wordsAmonth



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, mention of Rosita
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2018-12-18 10:34:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11872521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/700wordsAmonth/pseuds/700wordsAmonth
Summary: Post season 2. They're broken up, but Waverly won't let it be the end.





	1. Chapter 1

Waverly watched as Nicole sipped her drink and kept herself out of the way of the young couples risking a few dance steps and the circles of gossip formed by the more mature parcel of Purgatory’s population.

It’d been almost two months since Rosita spilled the beans, accidentally, on their kiss; since Nicole had, a couple of days later, broken up with her. They’d all been locked together, preparing themselves to face Sheriff Clootie, when Rosita mentioned it; she was just trying to lighten the mood, crack a bit the heavy silence. Nicole had stared, confused, first at Rosita, then at her. And Waverly was sure the guilt she felt could be seen all over her face, because the light in Nicole’s eyes simply went out – she understood.

Nicole hadn’t been loud; in fact, Nicole hadn’t said a thing. They had more deadly things to worry about right then. She hadn’t sought Waverly out while they were preparing for the fight, but she hadn’t avoided her either. It was only after everything had been done and dealt with that she cast Waverly such a _sad_ look and said that she was going home. _Stay_ , she had asked, _I know I… We need to talk, stay._ She would say she had even pleaded.

But Nicole’s eyes had remained dull, _I have nothing to say. And I don’t think whatever you have to say will make a difference._ And then she was gone.

 

They had talked since then, of course. Waverly had apologized a few times until Nicole stopped her. She was forgiven, apparently, _I’m not angry, Waves, I’m… I’m not sure. I think you broke something._

She was well aware of the damage she had done.

But two months, two months was a lot when you loved someone and knew that that someone loved you right back. So, yea, she’d messed up, but she wasn’t about to let one bad decision (or three if she counted the mistakes of both sides) ruin a good thing. A good thing that she was pretty sure was supposed to last the rest of her life.

 

* * *

 

 Waverly made her way to Nicole and her breath hitched as she took in the suit that the redhead was wearing. _God_ the world wasn’t fair. First time she sees her girlfriend in a suit and she’s not even her girlfriend anymore for her to fully enjoy it.

She stopped in front of Nicole, her eyes more level with the other woman’s due to her heels, but not as level as she knew they could get when she had these shoes on. 

She hadn’t said anything yet, but Nicole, sweet, kind Nicole greeted her with a timid smile anyway.

“Hey.”

“Hey. Enjoying your first Purgatory Christmas Gala?”

Nicole chuckled, “it’s actually not as bad as I thought it would be. I’m not all that proficient in heels, but, other than that, it’s been a pleasant evening.”

“Hmm, could have fooled me with your wallflower act.”

“Yea, I… I guess I’ve been feeling a little contemplative.” Her shy smile was back, dimples slightly marking her cheeks and making something _pull_ at Waverly’s chest and stomach. She wanted to touch _so bad_. The tips of her fingers sought out Nicole’s hand before the action had even fully registered in her mind, her feet bringing her closer to the other woman. Two months keeping herself away was a long time.

“Dance with me? You should enjoy the party.”

“Waverly…,” Nicole said, taking her hand back from the other woman’s touch, “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

“Why?” She asked, though the reason was clear to both of them. “It’s just one dance.”

“Is it, though?” There was a barrier in the redhead’s eyes, though they were still kind.

Waverly took a deep breath because _was it?_ It was and it wasn’t. It was just a dance, but it would never be just a dance because it was _them._

“So you won’t even dance with me?” After all that had happened, she didn’t want the hurt to show in her eyes and in her voice – she had been the one to cause it – but, still, it was clear in her intonation, in how fragile her voice sounded when pushed past a closing throat.

Nicole sighed, her posture defensive. “Waverly, it’s over, we are over. This”, she gestured between them, “would only hurt more. Hurt the both of us.”

“So that’s it?” Waverly’s vision blurred. “You’ll meet somebody new and marry her and settle down? You’ll never kiss me again or touch me again or make love to me again. That’s what you want?” Waverly waited for Nicole’s answer, her chest rising and falling rapidly, lungs trying to match the rhythm of her heartbeat.

“I… Of course that’s not what I want. _I love you._ But I don’t think I can trust you again. Not with my heart. It’s… It’s not that I don’t want to, Waverly. I just don’t think I am capable of doing that anymore.”

Waverly’s hands shook as they searched for contact with Nicole’s again. “That’s okay. I’m okay with wooing you and earning your trust again. Just give me the chance to try.”

Nicole shook her head, “I don’t think I’ll be able to not hold back, Waves.”

“Then hold back. I’m not asking for you to take me back right now. _Right now_ , I just want you to dance with me. And, if you say yes to grabbing a coffee with me during the week, I won’t complain.” Still through watery eyes, Waverly chanced a timid smile that made the corners of Nicole’s lips raise in response. The shorter woman’s hand raised to trace them.

The allowed contact had her heart settling inside her chest, finally sitting right after beating so long in the wrong place, to a wrong rhythm. Waverly’s voice was reduced to a whisper. “So. Dance with me?”


	2. (Not in any way a) coffee date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coffee date was the idea. The execution? Not so much.

Nicole hadn't explicitly said yes to coffee in the party that opened December and pretty much announced the end of the year in Purgatory. And Waverly didn't really want to ask the question in case the answer was no. So, simply bringing the dark, slightly sweetened drink over to the redhead at work would have to do. And if Nicole didn't want it... Well, she could simply not drink it, or tell Waverly that she was busy – though the younger woman did pay special attention to heighten her chances of Nicole actually having some free time to talk over coffee. Nothing too serious – no, sir. Just the trivial: _have you seen Ms. Patrick's poodle new dye job? Did you watch the latest episode of Grey's?_ The things they used to talk about to each other, the things they used to do together.  _Are you still running early in the morning despite the colder weather?_ She had a list of topics. Plan A and B and C. She would gradually warm her way into Nicole's life again. A chat here, a coffee there, drinks any Friday, dinner with both of them and her sister, dinner with only the both of them, a movie, a sleepover. She'd get her girl. And it all would start with _this_ chat and _this_ coffee.

 

Nicole appeared to be doing some light paperwork when Waverly reached her desk, big foam cup in hand.

“For you.”

Nicole's naturally large eyes widened slightly in surprise. “Oh. Thanks, Waves.”

“You're welcome. Are you...” _busy?_ Nope, not a good idea. Don't give her a way out just yet. _Hungry?_ Too soon _and early_ for a lunch date. _Inclined to being my girlfriend again?_ Too straightforward. “... doing anything on Christmas?”  _What?_

“Yea," Nicole cringed a little for her sake, "Nedley invited me to spend the day with him and Chrissy.”

“Right! Yes, of course. Nedley, such a father figure, for a boss I mean, I don't- Wonderful. And Chrissy is really nice, she's been even nicer since Steph, you kn- _So_ rude of me to say that. It's just great! But if, _perchance_ , you want to spend it with us at the homestead. Or maybe you could have lunch with the Nedleys and then come? I mean, I know things are a bit weird between us right now, but we're...” _family_. “We're,” Waverly had never felt her throat close so tight out of embarrassment before. “I mean you and I... and Wynonna and the boys, of course-” she didn't know how the air still found passage through her larynx.

Nicole stopped her with a full, warm touch to the back of her left hand and a calming smile on her lips. “I get it. We're... something.”

“Yea.” Nicole's acknowledgment had her heart slowing down, beating heavier, steadier in her chest. “We're something.” _Special_ , she wanted to add, _we're something special_. But that would force a reaction from Nicole that she didn't think she had the right to prompt anymore.

“So, think it over? I'll make that pie you like. I'll actually make two of it, cause you know how Wynonna is with food.”

Nicole smirked like she used to, eyes dancing as the multiple occasions in which they laughed together at Wynonna's antics likely went through her head. “I remember.”

The complicity of the moment and simply the way the redhead was looking at her, as if their moments together were her best ones, had Waverly blushing and fighting her instincts to lower her eyes and look at the other woman through her eyelashes. She didn't completely succeed though.

Waverly finally cleared her throat and diverted her eyes from the other woman's, chancing a glance at the BBD office, as if prompted by the talk of her sister. _Of all the things to bond over..._

Feeling herself a little more under control as the intimate moment passed, she decided this was enough for a first coffee.

“I hope you come. Not just for me, we'd all love to have you there.”

“I... I have to think about it? But I would like to be there as well... My uncertainty has nothing to do with not wanting to be with you guys, you know that, right?”

Waverly felt herself deflate. “Totally,” she tried to smile but was pretty sure it looked more like a grimace. “You have to do what you feel is best. We'll miss you, though.”

Nicole's brow furrowed as she studied the brunette. “It wasn't a no.”

“Right. Great. Fingers crossed,” Waverly laughed nervously and walked backward toward the BBD office, clearly eager to end the conversation after too many ups and downs in the short spawn of... _probably less than five minutes?_

The left corner of Nicole's lips raised in amusement, her hand barely losing contact with the table in goodbye, "yea, fingers crossed."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to come back to this fic guys. I actually tried to write a second chapter for it about 5 times since I first posted it, seems the sixth is the charm. This ended up being really short, but I can say that I at least know where the next 2 chapters are going, so there is hope for me yet. This will work mostly as a series of one-shots as I use some of the classic tropes to bring these two together.
> 
> Next up should be Mistletoe and then sharing a bed. Though I haven't quite gotten to writing it yet and work this time of the year tends to get in the way for me, so I can't promise when the update will take place. Hopefully soon!


	3. Mistletoe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas, things don't seem so clear and Wynonna is Wynonna.

Waverly had thought that she'd spend this day with Nicole. With Wynonna, and Doc and Dolls too, of course, but she had been excited to spend Christmas Eve with the redhead and to go to bed with her and wake up to her the next day. It was her favorite holiday and Nicole made her feel loved and warm like she never thought possible – the idea of having two of her favorite things together like that felt like a commitment and had her heart running and her body buzzing out of excitement, as if she were a child waiting to open the largest present under the tree. The cheesy lines in those wedding movies finally making sense: _I can barely wait to spend the rest of my life with you._

But Waverly had gone to bed alone and woken up alone and the holiday didn't seem so bright anymore. She had been dreaming about decorating a tree with Nicole since before Halloween (she'd had a Christmas song stuck on her head that day and it'd been inevitable to daydream about Nicole in Christmasy scenarios) and now not even the promise of the deputy coming over to spend the day at the homestead could lift her mood. Spending the day with Nicole (without being able to touch her and kiss her) was starting to seem increasingly more like a curse instead of a blessing.

But, _god_ , she missed her. She missed how, despite her family name, Nicole always run a bit on the chilly side. How her hands always felt cool to the touch until Waverly's coaxing and teasing fingertips had the redhead's temperature closer to feverish. She missed how Nicole could always keep up with her random thoughts and abrupt changes of topic and how she'd hum in the middle of the night to let Waverly know that she was still paying attention even though she probably wasn't anymore, 'cause Waverly was pretty sure she was already more than half asleep.

She missed watching her sleep.

She missed Nicole, period. So seeing her should be good, right? Except that – isn't it better to just end things clear-cut to get over someone? But what if you don't wanna get over someone? But who even prefers to suffer loving someone than to just getting over them?

Well, according to television shows and cinema and literature: pretty much everyone.

What a time of the year to feel so hopeless.

 

* * *

 

Nicole arrived at the time one would expect lunch to be served, which meant she was at least three hours too early for the meal at the Earps.

Actually faced with the deputy, her heart seemed to decide on its previous impasse – seeing Nicole was good, and it improved her mood greatly. That is, until Wynonna decided to take the issue of her little sister's love life into her own hands.

Waverly wasn't gonna lie, she had wondered, when they decorated the homestead in early December, about “accidentally” standing under the mistletoe with Nicole, as it seemed as good an idea as any to kickstart their relationship again. But now that Wynonna kept trying to lure and trap them together under the plant, the romantic scenario was starting to seem more like a threat than a promise of a new beginning.

“Come on, guys, it's _tradition_. You're under the mistletoe, you have to kiss. Help me out here, Doc.”

“Don't bother, Doc,” Waverly said without even looking at their friend, who sighed in relief. “We wouldn't be _under the mistletoe_ if you hadn't pushed and tripped us until we were here.”

“Well, where does it say that people can't be forced into it, huh?”

“ _In the Penal Code,_ Wynonna.”

“Oh please, Waverly, it's just a peck.”

  
Don't get her wrong, Waverly would gladly peck and kiss and sleep with and have children with Nicole, but not in front of an audience pushing them together and not without knowing if Nicole was ok with a kiss, under the mistletoe or not. Nicole had waited for her when they first got together. She would wait for Nicole this time around.

“Fine!” Nicole said, looking more exhausted than angry.

“No, Nicole, you don't have to do thi-

“It's okay, Waverly. It's tradition, right?”

Waverly was caught between really really wanting Nicole to kiss her and really really wanting her to do so because she wanted to, and not because she was pushed into it.

“I... Are you sure? Because you don't ha-

Her words caught in her throat as Nicole lifted her chin with the curve of her pointer finger and lightly tipped her face up and to the side, pressing her lips fully to her cheek.

It felt more intimate than a kiss on the cheek had a right to be and it had Waverly leaning into the contact unconsciously, her nose brushing Nicole's cheek in an instinctual caress.

“ _Seriously?_ You guys are what? Twelve?” Wynonna's voice broke the moment, prompting Waverly to take a step back as she fought to take her eyes off of the redhead's.

“Yes, Wynonna, we are the ones being immature here.”

Wynonna turned to leave the living room, dismissing them, “whatever, I'll get some water, the age is getting to me, can't drink like I used to anymore.”

 

“I'm sorry about Wynonna.”

“No, don't worry, I know your sister.”

“Yea?”

Nicole chuckled, her eyes soft yet meaningful when looking into Waverly's. “Yea”.

The brunnete felt her heartrate accelerate again. She didn't know if the electricity was actually there or if it was wishful thinking on her part, the craving making the hair on her arms stand to attention even though Nicole might have been clueless to what was going on in her head and, especially, in her body.

“Do you- Can I,” she cleared her throat, “would it be okay if I, you know?” She felt her cheeks redden and her eyes water. “Can I...” Waverly's heart was close to beating out of her chest and her throat closed, cracking her words, “can I kiss you?”

But Nicole hesitated. Waverly had never felt more exposed in her life and Nicole had hesitated.

“It's fine, we don't have to,” she could feel herself losing control of the tears filling up her eyes. “It's just, you know, the season- It was stupid, I shouldn't have said that-

“No, Waverly, it's not what you think. I just don't want to... I _want_ to, I mean, you're my- You're Waverly. I just don't want to lead you on. I want to kiss you, I do. But it doesn't mean that we're... It doesn't-

“I get it. It' doesn't mean you're my girlfriend again.” And she knew that, she knew that betraying someone's trust wasn't something easily fixed, but saying it out loud still squeezed her heart in a way that had become very familiar these last few months. “But, Nicole, what _does_ it mean?”

“I'm not sure, Waves,” Nicole confessed as she placed a strand of hair behind the younger woman's ear, “but it's Christmas, and the girl I love asked me for a kiss.”

Even though Nicole's movement was slow, the pressure of her lips on hers felt sudden, and it took the brunette a moment to catch up with the kiss. Her whole body was faster to react once her mind understood what was happening, moving her weight to her toes and upwards, pressing her front to Nicole's. Her fingers found silky strands of red hair and she had to suppress a groan because _this_ was what she'd been craving for months: Nicole's lips and tongue and her arm wrapped tight around her lower back.

She'd thought that if she were to ever be granted the right to kiss her girlfriend again, she would be too excited or nervous or desperate to be able to take her time, but the actual kiss was slow and deep and had Waverly gasping and pulling their lips apart to breathe and stop her head from spinning her upside down.

When she finally opened her eyes, Nicole was watching her with a look she recognized, always searching for any sign that she had overstepped a limit.

“Thank you.”

Nicole smirked. “I mean, I know I'm a decent kisser, but you're thanking me for it?”

“Best gift I've been given in many Christmases. Though Wynonna and Gus were never really good at giving presents, so don't let it get to your head.”

Nicole shook her head, smiling, and Waverly felt compelled to make sure she understood.

“Really. Thank you for the kiss, but also thank you for giving me a chance. For coming over today and having coffee with me every now and then. I will put to good use what I learned from you and woo you off your feet. Just wait and see.”

The taller woman chuckled and shook her head. “You can woo me just fine with your own tricks, Waverly.”

Waverly fixed her eyes on Nicole's. “No, this time I have to bring out the big guns. Can't lose this girl.”

 


	4. Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly reaches a landmark in the art of wooing. Time to bring out the flowers. Nicole blushes a lot.

She wandered through one of the two aisles of the only flower shop in Purgatory looking at roses and daisies and wildflowers. This was a must, right? When you want to woo a girl, you bring her flowers. When you want your girl to forgive you, you bring her flowers. When it's your girl's birthday or your anniversary, flowers. Right?

Well, Waverly does know that it's not that simple and that, obviously, not all girls liked flowers, some were even allergic to them, but she was pretty confident that Nicole would appreciate, if not the flowers, at least the gesture.

Waverly had never had to worry about such things before. She was a girl and Champ was much more of a screw up than she could ever hope to be, which meant that the flower picking business as an apology was all on him.

The first time she thought about buying flowers to woo a girl she'd been at Nicole's. The redhead had been in the kitchen making them some hot beverage while Waverly scrolled through her girlfriend's Netflix account. One movie had stood out in Nicole's “keep watching” list – a romantic comedy, two women holding hands behind the back of two men. Nicole had blushed when she saw which movie Waverly had picked (and that it had been stopped over 40 minutes in as it loaded for them to watch).

 

“ _So you like romantic comedies, huh?”_

_Nicole shrugged and looked down for a second, faking, or maybe really a little ashamed to meet Waverly's eyes._

“ _To be fair, this one is pretty funny.”_

“ _Uhum and I suppose it doesn't hurt that the main couple is two girls.”_

_Nicole's already pinkish cheeks became almost red. “Yea, that's okay too.”_

_Waverly felt her own cheeks hurt from smiling so hard._

 

_It turned out that one of the women in the movie was a florist, and the whole discussion about flowers and their meaning had Waverly wondering._

_“So... What is your opinion on flowers?”_

_Nicole frowned slightly as her eyes were slowly pulled from the TV to focus on her girlfriend, “my opinion on flowers?”_

_“I mean, on receiving them, as a gift, from... you know-_

_“You?”_

_“Yea. Like, do you think it's a waste? Just something that will die? Or do you like them? You have a favorite?”_

_“Oh, I... I guess I'm a little old-fashioned on this. I do like getting flowers, I shouldn't 'cause I don't have much of a green thumb-_

_“_ _I do! If you get flowers,_ when _you get flowers, I do have kind of a green thumb, I can take care of them for you. If you want me to.”_

 _“_ _Okay.” Nicole smiled, prompting a similar reaction from her girlfriend._

 _“_ _Okay. And which one do you like the most?”_

 _“_ _Waves, my birthday is really far away.”_

 _“_ _No, I know, it's just... this is something we're supposed to know, right? I'm supposed to know what to get my girlfriend if I'm ever in trouble. Or if it's a special day. I'm supposed to know this.”_

 _“_ _Alright,” Nicole paused and her eyes lost focus as she searched for her answer, “I guess I don't really have a favorite. It's just something I was raised with, through movies and my parents. I,” Nicole cleared her throat, “I go kinda soft when I get flowers?” Hot pink colored her cheeks and her voice got slightly higher, embarrassment turning her answer into a question._

 _“_ _Really,” Waverly smiled knowingly and moved to straddle Nicole. “So you'll go all soft on me if I bring you a bouquet?”_

_Nicole squeezed Waverly's thighs and followed the curve of her hips to run her thumbs underneath her shirt, studying her girlfriend's body until she reached her eyes. “I'm already soft on you.”_

 

Waverly shook herself from the memory and considered her acquisition. Red roses had seemed too cliché. Plus, it didn't seem like the right moment for passion. White and pink roses seemed like the right bouquet for a wedding, so that was definitely skipping some steps. The wildflowers were too colorful, too happy for the occasion. Picking the flowers had been much harder than she'd thought it would be. The lilies were beautiful, but they weren't right, looking more like an ornament than an apology. And, according to Luce, their meaning wasn't the right one for the occasion either. In the end, Waverly had decided for a bouquet of dark pink tulips, the tips of their petals white colored. She didn't know their meaning, but they felt right. Maybe they would even be right enough for Nicole to go to dinner with her. They hadn't done the whole dating thing when they first got together and she couldn't say she regretted it, but, at the same time, she couldn't say that she wasn't eager to dress up and have Nicole to herself for a whole night. To have dinner with her and drink wine and share the dessert 'cause the redhead wasn't much of a sweet tooth. She wanted to drive Nicole home and have her invite her in for some coffee, she wanted to dance with her, just the two of them, in the redhead's living room.

 

Waverly took a couple more seconds to rehearse what she was going to say and entered the station, caught between moving the flowers behind her back to make them a surprise or simply hiding herself behind them, even though the bouquet wasn't nearly big enough for the second option to work.

“Nicole, hey.”

“Wave- oh.” Nicole took the flowers in and looked at Waverly in question. “Is it somebody's birthday?”

“No, silly, these are for you. You think I'd come to your table carrying flowers for someone else?”

“I don't know, I've seen many awkward conversations in movies when people assume the flowers are for them.”

Waverly chuckled and smiled and her mouth didn't seem big enough to express her joy at seeing Nicole's eyes running between her own and the bouquet.

“These _are_ for you, though.” She said as she brought the flowers closer to the other woman.

The police officer received them with shining eyes, her hands delicate on the stems and petals, taking the colors in as her pale complexion did nothing to hide the blush that rose to her cheeks, her smile too sincere to be held back and her dimples marking her face beautifully. Waverly would give her flowers every single day of her life to see her girlfriend as happy and moved as she was right then.

“You weren't kidding,” the brunette said, keeping her voice low, “you do go all soft when you're brought flowers.”

A new rush of color reached the redhead's cheeks, but her eyes didn't run from Waverly's, light from the outside getting them just so and making the moisture in them more visible. “Don't make fun of me.”

Waverly noticed that she was closer now to Nicole, though she wasn't aware of either of them moving. “I would never.” She was locked in Nicole's warmth and scent (and even her scent was warm) and in her smile, she felt so full - there was no room for doubt when she finally asked the question she'd had come to ask.

“Have dinner with me?”

 


	5. Go all out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly and Nicole go all out in more ways than one.

Waverly parked outside Nicole's home and walked to her porch steps. Before she could get there, though, the door opened to the figure of her kinda ex, kinda current girlfriend in a tight black dress that reached a little north of her mid thighs. A long coat, still held open to the night air, protected her from the cold.

 _Well, damn_.

Waverly reached the first step of the stairs, but something about the way Nicole looked that night had her questioning if she should come closer – she felt like a prince in a Disney movie, watching the princess across the lake, too beautiful to be disturbed.

Nicole's name fell from her lips in a low hum, her own mind barely noticing that she was speaking. “You look beautiful.”

Nicole walked down the stairs to her, a shy smile on her lips. “Thank you,” she said, running a hand down her dress self-consciously. “I don't usually dress up.”

Waverly caught herself between replying that she should, because _God, you look breathtaking_ , and that it was good that she didn't – otherwise Waverly would have to fight off competitors for Nicole's affections every single day. And they both knew that Waverly was, _yes_ , very possessive and had a great aim with a shotgun.

She opted for neither, her fingers reaching closer to brush their backs along a couple of inches at the waist of the black material. “Well, I'm certainly glad to finally meet the famous sexy black dress.”

Nicole chuckled, but her blush made her embarrassment evident. “It's not that sexy.”

“No,” Waverly replied, sighing as her eyes studied the other woman's length, “it really is.”

Nicole cleared her throat and diverted her eyes, “so, should we get a move on?”

Taking her hand and squeezing it briefly, Waverly guided Nicole to her car, “definitely.”

 

* * *

 

Waverly had chosen a fancy enough restaurant for them to dress up and for the night to feel special, but she couldn't say she paid much attention to the place when Nicole's shy but amused smile kept luring her in. Nicole knew what her soft looks through eyeslashes did to her, and Waverly knew that that spark in Nicole's eyes meant that she had noticed how Waverly's attention had been focused on her lips the whole night – first when the waiter brough the wine and Nicole's tongue followed the taste to her lower lip after taking a sip, later when she squeezed a bit of lemon juice onto her meal and a drop ran to her thumb, which then received a short peck as a cleanup, and through the whole night as they talked and Nicole's lips would strecth in a smile, or when she tried to hold that smile back by making her lower lip suffer a not too sharp bite. Nicole was captivating and Waverly had gone too long without being allowed to openly appreciate that. When the dessert came, sharing her spoon with Nicole was a pleasure she hadn't known she'd been missing out on.

 

The drive back was tortuous and too fast at the same time. Waverly didn't want the night to end, so she spent the whole drive trying to figure out if she should invite Nicole to go someplace else, but as she slowed the car to park in front of Nicole's place, Waverly had to admit that what she really wanted – hoped for – was for Nicole to invite her in.

Turning off the engine, Waverly could feel her heart running and her hands sweating around the keys and the door handle. She didn't know why this felt so crucial. If Nicole didn't invite her in tonight, she could take her out again in a couple of days. At least she hoped so. That had been the idea all along, hadn't it? To take her time earning Nicole's trust again? Waverly breathed in and let her reasoning calm her down as she walked Nicole to her door, the redhead playing with her keys as they reached the welcome matt.

“Wanna come in?”

Of course, the fact that her reasoning had done its job didn't mean that she would say no to Nicole.

“Yes.” Her palms started to sweat again. “Thank you.”

“ 'Course, Waves. Want something to drink?” Nicole asked as she stepped out of her shoes without stopping her walk to the kitchen, Waverly follwing close behind.

“I'm good.”

Nicole opened the cabinet, picking up one glass and looking at Waverly as she hovered her other hand over a second glass, “you sure?”

“Positive.”

“Okay,” Nicole answered with a smile in her voice. The redhead rested her right hip against the sink while she filled her glass with tap water. “You look taller than I remember.” She took a sip and put her glass down.

The tips of Waverly's lips rose in answer. She looked at her high-heeled boots and raised her eyes to study the redhead. _Is she flirting?_

“Well,” Waverly took a step closer to Nicole, “I had to get some height so I could reach your face.”

“ _Oh_ ,” Nicole's chin tilted down, her body adjusting slightly to meet Waverly's. “And why would you need to reach my face?”

Her breath suddenly short, Waverly cradled Nicole's left cheek and met her hips with her own, interspacing their legs and bringing their lips together. She felt her whole body sigh into Nicole's, her weight leaning more heavily on the redhead and her lungs emptying and then filling to full capacity again.

The kiss was intense from the start. Waverly had missed her, missed her taste, the slide of Nicole's tongue against hers, her smell, the feeling of Nicole's hands, cool on her waist and getting warmer the more they touched.

Soon Nicole's lips were on her neck and her skin was covered in goosebumps, they'd somehow left the kitchen and, as Waverly slowed down to make herself aware of her surroundings, she realized her feet had taken them to the stairs.

Waverly held Nicole's hands and tried to slow her breathing as they stood there.

“Bedroom?” She asked.

Nicole nodded, her pupils blown as she stared at Waverly. Her right hand still in the younger woman's left, Nicole followed Waverly into the bedroom.

“Yea?” Waverly asked when they stopped in front of the bed.

Nicole answered with her lips on Waverly's again. The younger woman felt Nicole's arm wrapped tight around her waist as she was lowered onto the bed. She could feel her body responding to having Nicole on top of her again, the nerve endings between her thighs making themselves known insistently, her nipples sensitive and achy, and her heart beating so hard she could swear that if she stopped a minute to take notice, she would feel her blood pumping in the tips of her fingers.

Nicole molded herself into Waverly, her kiss slow and deep and her hands strong and tight on Waverly's waist, on her breasts, a little softer on her nipples. And _god_ Waverly wanted her.

Nicole's left hand was lowered to Waverly's waist and her lips became gentler on the other woman's. Waverly moved her own hand to Nicole's because _yes, lower is good_ but it wasn't quite low enough. Nicole's voice and her fingers wrapping around Waverly's got the younger woman's attention.

“Waverly, slow down, baby.”

“Yea, no,” Waverly rose to kiss Nicole again, “slow later, now it's good like this.”

“No, Waves,” Nicole's forehead rested on Waverly's and she brought the brunette's hand that had been on her own to her lips, kissing her knuckles. “I need to stop.”

Waverly's heart squeezed itself painfully, but her body didn't follow the mood switch quite so fast. “ _Oh._ ” Waverly started to cover herself distractedly, buttoning her blouse again, but matching the wrong pairs of buttons and holes.

“No, baby, don't be upset.”

“I'm not, it's okay. It's not working for you-

“It is.” Nicole caught her eyes. “Waverly, it is. I just got a little carried away. I don't think we should do this without talking first. Really talking.” Nicole guided Waverly to lay down again, facing her. She took a strand of Waverly's hair between her thumb and pointer finger, the barely there contact calming the younger woman down.

“I know that you love me. I heard you when you apologized, I swear I did. I just... I don't think it's registered yet? It still feels like- like a thing, you know? And I don't want it to be a thing between us. Maybe if you walk me through it, I'll get it. You think you can help me get it?”

Waverly sighed, defeated. This would do more hurt than good. “Nicole, I don't think a detailed description of me kissing Rosita will help.”

“No, I-” Nicole paused. “There was enough of it for a detailed description?” Her voice sounded squeaky.

Waverly chuckled. “No, baby, there wasn't.”

“Promise?”

“Promise. It was like this.” Waverly cupped Nicole's face and kissed her briefly. She pulled back to meet Nicole's eyes. “Only it wasn't you, so there were no warm fuzzy feelings in my chest. It felt mostly like a brick in my stomach.”

Nicole's smile was careful when she answered. “But that was after the kiss. I mean, how were you feeling before that?”

“I- I don't know. I guess I was angry with you, but it's more that- that I felt like... like my story wasn't mine?” Waverly presented it as a question, unsure herself of what she had been feeling that day. “I don't know, it's just... When I was a kid, I was... I wasn't set apart by the town, but I could feel people whispering behind my back, you know? I heard parts of what they'd say about Wynonna. And when Wynonna would come back for a few days or a week, I loved her, I _love_ her, but things always became so much worse. So I started to, you know, not distance myself from my name, but to work really hard to make sure that people saw that I _wasn't_ my name. So I,” Waverly smirked and raised her hand a bit from the mattress, “smiled and waved. I pretended I didn't hear what the older girls would say about Wynonna, or when they'd wonder if I'd follow her footsteps and shoot uncle Curtis too, or become a drunk like daddy or disappear like mom. If you heard them, there were _so_ many ways for me to go wrong. So I did everything that I could to be as right as possible. I was a good student, I joined the cheer squad – not that I didn't like it, I loved it, but I also... It was about more than just doing something I liked. And still I would hear from some of the girls whenever I turned a boy down that I shouldn't be so picky because _who would want to date an Earp?_ It was like I was a horror story waiting to happen. As if I could only end in tragedy.”

Waverly met Nicole's eyes again, as her focus had changed as she lost herself in the memories. “It wasn't just about the curse and my research, Nicole. Everything that I put together is important, of course, and the curse is… it takes over everything. But that isn't the only thing I worked hard for. I learned everything that I could about my family, or what I thought was my family, but I also worked really hard to look as far away from all that came with my name as I _possibly_ could, at least for the eyes of everybody else. I didn’t even realize how _exhausted_ I was until Wynonna came back to town, until I could finally share how much I had learned about our family. Only it wasn't my family at all.”

“Waves,” Nicole's voice sounded low and intimate, and she brought herself closer to Waverly in physical comfort.

“I know, I know that it _is_ my family, but, in this case, blood really matters. So it also isn't. It's like all the effort I put to fit in... like I didn't have to do that. But it was already done. And the part that I really took pride in, that would never belong to me.” She took a deep breath as her thoughts were redirected. “And then the test results also meant that, if Ward isn't my father, then who is? And the talks about a half-revenant... I thought that could be me and I- I didn't know what _that_ would mean. Would Wynonna have to kill me too? I know she would never, but if the curse _required_ that from her, what would we do? I just... I felt like I didn't have anything, Nicole. Not my story, not my family's history, not my family at all. I could even be on the wrong side of the fight if I was a half-rev. And, to top it all off, I didn't have you.” A single tear escaped each of Waverly's eyes, but she tried to smile them away. “You have a really calming presence, have I ever told you that?”

“ _Oh, baby_ ,” Nicole moved in to hold Waverly to her, nestling the younger woman's forehead to the curve of her neck. “I'm so sorry. I am so, so sorry that I wasn't there with you. I'm sorry that I kept the results from you.”

“Why did you do that?” Waverly dislodged herself to meet Nicole's eyes again. “I know you said that it was to protect me, but I wanted it, you knew I wanted it.”

“I did. I thought it would be too much for you in that moment. So much had happened already. I just thought it would be too much.”

Waverly chuckled wetly, “well, you weren't wrong. It would have been better if you were with me to open the exams, though.”

Nicole moved closer to place a kiss on Waverly's lips. “I'm sorry,” she said against her skin.

“So, does this mean that you're my girlfriend again?”

“If you'll have me.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I didn't plan for this to be the final chapter, but it ended up being?


End file.
